The Krefeld Theater shows a killer musical based on the Guinness movie classic

Next first in Krefeld
:
The tenor dies eight times in the musical

–

Barely recognizable: Markus Heinrich (front) plays eight relatives of the British upper class, including a lady. In “Love, Murder and the Duties of the Nobility” all are eliminated.
Photo: Matthias Stutte

–
–

Crefeld The musical comedy “Love, murder and noble duties” was created after the film “Adel undertakes”, which the theater has been showing from Saturday 24 September. The focus: a cute killer and his eight victims.

For Markus Heinrich, the next musical theater premiere will be a high-speed course. It has to change at the speed of light, sometimes in 30 seconds. This is also a challenge for wardrobe and costume tailoring. That’s why nowadays the change of clothes is meticulously tried and some Velcro fasteners are attached so that it unfolds quickly when it counts: the musical “Love, Murder and Noble Duties” will debut on Saturday 24 September at the Krefeld Theater. And Heinrich plays eight different characters.

–

Rapid changes from one character to another – and in the appropriate clothing – are nothing new to Markus Heinrich. The tenor has already dominated multiple roles. One little thing is different this time: all eight characters are killed. “I’ve never died so many times,” he said.

–

Whimsical characters, pleasant melodies and raven-black British humor make up the fast-paced musical.
*Photo: Matthias Stutte*

–

His characters do not die a natural death, but they bless the dead in strange or absurd ways. “It’s very British,” says musical playwright Ulrike Aistleitner, who is very excited about the comedy musical, which premiered on Broadway in 2013. “The Detmold Theater got ahead of us with the German premiere during the Corona period,” he says.

–

The story is not new. The novel was published in the 1920s. The film, which in Germany bears the title “Adel undertakes” is a cult classic of black humor since 1949, thanks also to the main roles of Alec Guinness, whose parts Markus Heinrich plays at the Theater Krefeld Mönchengladbach. And the American musical adaptation of Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak is still quite British and somber. The musical got four Tony’s.

–

It is the story of the young Monty Navarro (played by Oliver Arno), who lives in poverty and discovers that he could actually become a lord, because he is the scion of a very rich British noble family. He decides to make the request of him. The only problem: in the line of succession there are eight relatives (eight times Markus Heinrich) before him. First he has to get it out of the way.

–

The musical shows in a funny way how he does it and what important role chance plays. Not all the dead are murdered with malicious intentions. “The craziest things happen there. It starts with the lack of assistance, sometimes bees are involved, “says Aistleitner.

–

The Treacherous: Monty is convicted of a murder he didn’t actually commit. The night before the execution, he tells his story about him. Thus begins the long evening at the theater.

–

It is a debut for Giovanni Conti. He is the new conductor of the house. “Love, murder and noble duties” is his first assignment for the big stage. And immediately musical – then swing, pop, lively waltz. “I come from classical music and I thought it was not at the level of an opera. But the music offered me challenges,” says the Italian, who comes from a family of musicians. He liked the way the music describes landscapes in sound and interprets the temperaments of the characters.

–

Monty is not only involved in “misadventures”, but he is also involved in love. However, he can’t decide between poor, fun-loving Sibella and Phoebe, who reads Shakespeare and Kant. “The score is excellent,” says Conti. Musically, Sibella is quite moved, Phoebe a rather slow waltz – and Monty, the likeable killer, is rhythmically in the middle.

–

Siegfried E. Mayer set the stage for the fast-paced piece, directed by Thomas Weber-Schallauer, which can be changed quickly and also incorporated the subtlety of video technology. Peter Schmitz, who has already created the comic book characters for “Don Pasuale”, this time uses animated illustrations. “It’s an evening that is good for us right now,” promises Ulrike Aistleistner.

–

Leave a Comment Cancel reply